Cheshire Bed Bugs
One of the most reviled and misunderstood pests known to man is the bed bug (Cimex lectularius). How many of us dozed off to sleep at night as children with the words of our parents in our ears ‘sleep tight and don’t let the bed bugs bite’?
Bed bugs possibly started to feed on man at about the time we moved into caves, the ‘bat bugs’ Cimex pilosellus and Cimex pipistrella primarily feed on bats and it is probable that bat feeding species of bug evolved to dine on human blood when our ancesters started dwelling in bat infested caves.
Until the invention of DDT in the early 20th century bed bugs were common unwelcome guests in a lot of poor quality housing.
The later part of the 20th century has seen pest control companies dealing with very few bed bug calls indeed, their presence being largely restricted to cheap holiday camps and student lodging etc.
Many people confuse dust mites, which are not visible to the unaided eye, with bed bugs which certainly are.
Adult bedbugs are reddy-brown, about a quarter of an inch in size and very swollen after a feed of human blood.
They experience an incomplete metamorphosis which means that the young are just smaller versions of the adult, they do not have a pupal stage like fleas or a fly
Bed bugs regularly feed on human blood every 7 – 10 days, emerging in the hours before dawn and finding their prey by detecting the exhaled CO2 from our breathing and when nearing in on their target, infra red body heat.
In the absence of a regular human host to feed on they can |remain dormant for periods of up to 18 months.
Indications of a bed bug problem are spots of blood on bed sheets and on the underside of mattresses and some people can react badly to their bites.
The early 21st century has seen bed bug numbers increase across the planet, the easy availability of world travel and economic migration have both been blamed for the resurgence.
What is sure is that they are now making a real return not only in low quality homes but high class hotels, schools and even hospitals.
One London borough reported a doubling of bed bug problems every single year from 1995 – 2001.
Typical costs
on request
Cheshire Bed Bugs
A single night away in an infested hotel is all it takes, they hitch a ride in your suitcases or bags. Pest control firms are also now reporting instances of transport related bed bug infestations on tubes, trains and buses so a simple ride to town on an infested bus or train can be sufficient to spread the infestation to your home.
They are an expensive pest to eradictate as contrary to popular mythology they do not just live in beds. They hide any nook and cranny conveniently close to a sleeping human being, beds, electrical sockets, televisions, bed-side bed side telephones etc and dealing with them is both difficult and time consuming. They have even been found living beneath the toe-nails of infirm people and in the folds of flesh on heavily over-weight people.
They are not a pest that can be tackled by an amateur and a professional will almost certainly be required.
